Thomas Nelson - Devotions for the Beach and Days You Wish You Were There

TO:

...............................................

FROM:

...............................................

DEVOTIONS
for the BEACH

and days you wish you were there

BY MIRIAM DRENNAN

Devotions for the Beach

2012 by Thomas Nelson

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Design by Studio Gearbox. Images from Thinkstock.com

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4003-2030-1

Printed in China

12 13 14 15 [TWP] 5 4 3 2 1

www.thomasnelson.com

CONTENTS

Jesus said to them, Come and eat breakfast. Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, Who are You?knowing that it was the Lord.

JOHN 21:12

I t had been a tough morning, to be sure. Following Jesus death, several disciples returned to their regularly scheduled programming. They got up early, took their fishing nets, and... nothing. Not a bite. Until some guy stood on the shore and called out a weird suggestion to throw their nets in from the other side of the boat.

I wonder if any of them grumbled briefly, What difference does it make which side of the boat we throw the nets from? Who is this guy? But by then, they were desperate enough to try anything.

Suddenly, when their nets were heavy, the same question took on a different meaning, because they knew the answer. John shouted, It is the Lord! and Peter could not get to Jesus fast enough. Other than suggesting that they add some of the fresh catch to His spread, Jesus sole response was Come and eat breakfast.

Now, wait just a minute. When read in context, the scripture notes that this is Jesus third post-resurrection appearance, a miracle unto itself. After all, these men saw Him perish on the cross. And not only that, Hes preparing a meal on the beachnot as a ghost or apparition, but as a physical being able to lift things and build a fire, etc. Then, after their own efforts had been useless, He provides an abundance of fish with one simple instruction. And after these marvels, He simply says, Come and eat breakfast?

Yes.

We create so much unnecessary hoopla in our own regularly scheduled programming. We plan, we implement, and we work hard... and get frustrated when nothing comes of it. Desperate and empty, we finally look to Jesus as a last resortbecause we dont recognize who He is. And sometimes, really, all Hes asking is that we come join Him and take part in what Hes prepared and created. The rest will come.

So declutter your mind of plans, schedules, and to do lists. Instead, look out upon the waves, wiggle your toes in the sand, absorb the sights, smells, and sounds, and enjoy the moment for what it isnot what it means, not what lies ahead, not how you arrived here. There will be another time for that. For now, just be present with Him.

After all, in the best relationships, sometimes words are unnecessary.

Lord Jesus, I bring no words, no petitions with me right now. Just a moment to be still and commune with You in gratitude and love, using all of my senses to absorb and celebrate Your beautiful creation.

Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

DANIEL 11:35 NIV

U sually, driftwood forms when trees or large, wooden objects have been swept away by the sea either by natural or human efforts. The pieces that make it back to shore are smooth to the touch and are often used as decorative pieces or furniture. Other pieces anchor the foundation of a sand dune, with its former life a thing of the past.

But a lot of driftwood doesnt make it back to shore. Its eaten by bacteria and organisms, and it eventually disintegrates while it drifts. A lot like what happens to us when we remain in a quandary of doubt: our stomachs churn, and we can feel as though were being eaten from the inside out. What better way for the enemy to render us useless than to have us doubt our faith?

We may question if we were ever faithful in the first place. We might second-guess our motives or wonder if this Christian life is really worth it. Maybe God let us down and were angry with Himto the point that were not speaking to Him. Or we drift because life is actually going very wellwere distracted by our new promotion, or new boyfriend, or new home, for exampleso we adopt this idea that we must be doing something right, and we can therefore lighten up on living out our faith. We think that perhaps we dont need Him for everything, after all.

Then there is another reason for drifting: Gods peopleor those who masquerade as Gods peoplelet you down. Sometimes, were so fragile that all it takes is an unfriendly exchange with a greeter, neglect from a leader, or judgment from a church clique to send us packing. After all, why would we want to follow a Savior whose followers act that way? And theyre the ones who represent Him?

Stay faithful. If youre hurting, stay hopeful. Pray and give thanks to God for the opportunity to grow; ask Him to shed light, ask Him for clarity. If youre experiencing a season of blessings, dont discount the Provider; invite Him to celebrate with you.

You will eventually drift, and you will eventually make it back to shore and into His loving arms. And when you do, having been purified and renewed, your knots smoothed and heart supple, youre prepared to anchor a foundation for another drifter in similar circumstances. And your former life is a thing of the past.

Lord, I have drifted away. These are lessons that I know, but lessons I have not truly learned. Search my heart and cleanse it. Show me a better wayso that I may help someone else who is struggling in the same way. Thank you for this opportunity to grow, Lordlet me not lose heart that You are in this, so I need not fear what I may be facing.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.